Historical perspectives

One important challenge for VCE History students is working with different historical perspectives and interpretations. Revolutions are broad, divisive and tumultuous events. They involve entire populations, significant events and considerable upheaval. They affect thousands or even millions of people from different classes, backgrounds, regions, religions and ethnic groups. Revolutions tear apart the fabric of a society and shape the way people think. They create new political divisions and widen existing ones. They lead some people to question the status quo and others to defend it. Revolutionaries want to shape the future but they do not always agree on how it should be done or what form it should take. Revolutionary policies improve the lives of some, while leaving others no better or even worse off. In the end, a revolution is many different things to many different people. There is no common story or experience of a revolution but a multiplicity of stories and viewpoints.

In the context of the History (Revolutions) course, historical perspectives refer to these different views, ideas and experiences. Historical perspectives belong only to contemporary figures – that is, those who lived through the revolution and experienced it first hand. You should be aware of different perspectives as you study both your revolutions. Understand that any significant issue, event or idea will involve numerous different perspectives. When examining a primary source, such as a document or an image, think about whose perspectives are being represented and whose are being ignored, misrepresented or demonised. When studying a new reform, policy or law, consider whose interests it serves and whose it fails. Thinking about these different viewpoints and voices will give you a fuller understanding of your revolutions. Remember that no change or action is good for everyone or enjoys total support; there are always alternative or dissenting perspectives.

The following table contains some different historical perspectives for each of the four revolutions. These lists are not exhaustive but they are the most common perspectives you should consider:

Bolshevik leadership in 1917
Non-Bolsheviks in the Constituent Assembly (e.g. SRs)
Bolshevik perspectives on Brest-Litovsk
Leaders/sections of the White armies
Peasant or nationalist rebels (e.g. Antonov)
The Left SRs (e.g. Spiridonova)
The Workers’ Opposition (e.g. Kollontai)
The Kronstadt rebels
Internal party perspectives on the New Economic Policy (NEP)

Chinese Revolution

Area of Study One 1912-1949

Early republicans (e.g. Sun Yat-sen)
Royalist reactionaries (e.g. Yuan Shikai)
Warlords (e.g. Cao Kun)
Guomindang right-wing (e.g. Jiang Jieshi)
Guomindang left-wing (e.g. Wang Jingwei)
Students of the May Fourth movement
Members of the New Life movements
Founding members of the Chinese Communist Party
Moscow and the Comintern
The 28 Bolsheviks
Mao Zedong and his followers
Participants on the Long March